Thursday, September 4, 2008

DNA Helps Reunite Son With Father

There was an interesting news story today about a man who saw his father on television – five years after he had purportedly passed away. It turns out that after John Renehan’s father went missing in 2003, the local police investigated, discovered a body that bore similar resemblance to John’s father and declared that John’s father was dead. The police closed the case and the family moved on. But then, five years later, John was watching a television show about people who went missing and saw someone who looked just like his father! The man he saw suffered from memory loss and had a different name, but John was sure that this man looked like his father. After running a DNA test, they were able to confirm that indeed John’s father was alive, and they have now been re-united!

Before you read the full article (a link will be at the end of this post), imagine what would have happened without the benefit of the DNA test. John would have continued to live his life as he had the past five years, yet with the doubt that perhaps his father was still alive.

While a DNA test cannot always provide absolute proof of relation (as it seemingly did in this case), it can often serve as a compelling piece of evidence when coupled with other research. Genealogists (both professional and amateur) have been turning to DNA testing for a few years already in their quest to discover lost relatives, and it has become an incredibly valuable tool.